This invention relates in general to a dance floor, and in particular, to a portable dance floor system.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular use which is shown and described, this invention relates to a portable dance floor system which includes a plurality of modular floor components adapted to be interconnected in a manner to form a continuous dance surface. The system is provided with a self-contained electrical circuitry and illumination means positioned in the modular floor components to create enhance visual effects through the dance surface.
From the earliest time, dancing has been a popular form of entertainment in numerous cultures. In recent years, dance establishments known as discotheques or "discos" have achieved widespread popularity. Generally, such commercial disco dance facilities combine elaborate electronic sound systems with striking visual effects in the form of flashing lights, bright colors, and unique surroundings. The enchanced sensory environment of discotheques contributes to the present popularity of such clubs and the like.
Many commercial nightclubs employ permanently installed dance floors having associated sound systems and visual effects. It is common for various school, church, or social organizations to meet in social gatherings at which dancing is popularly enjoyed. These dances may be held in gymnasiums rooms, or auditoriums that are not equipped with suitable dance facilities. In the past, the dance facilities for such gatherings are merely composed of a floor and a sound system or live musical group. Thus, the temporary employment of an auditorium, gymnasium or other room as a dance facility fails to provide a suitable dance surface along with pleasing visual effects, such as normally found at a commercial discotheque and the like. The participants at such social gatherings are, therefore, deprived of the superior dance facilities that are provided at commercial disco-type environments.
Several attempts have been made in the past to provide a portable-like dance structure, which is capable of being erected at temporary sites. However, the portable dance floors heretofore provided merely employ blocks of material which are interconnected in a manner where no enhancement of the dance environment is attained. Such portable systems in the past also generally require time consuming and laborious assembly and disassembly. Moreover, none of the prior art temporary dance floors provide an effective electrical circuitry to establish a lighting effect which has heretofore been only provided at permanent dance installations. One portable dance floor disclosed in the prior art is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,025 to Deaven issued Oct. 10, 1978. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a portable dance floor system, by which a dancing surface can be economically and quickly erected to provide colorful lighting and flashing effects in conjunction with music.